Of Noblest Dawn
by firestart
Summary: Adelina Costa is different from all other girls. She wanted to help the poor, to become what her parents were not. The only thing she ever got for that was a life she never wanted. Destiny plays its role on everyone,and is Adelina's with Ezio, or alone?
1. Beginning With the stars

**Hi! This is my first fanfic, so plz no flaming. Um… I think that's all I really have to say. I wasn't quite sure what to base this off of, but since Assassin's Creed is SUCH a badass game, I wanted to do this. So… yeah, that's about it. R&R!**

Staring up at the twinkling star in the beautiful city of Firenze, I lay on the roof of my father's house, feeling as though my life was as far away as those stars. My name is Adelina- but please, call me Alba. Adelina means noble, and my family was most certainly of the noble type. We weren't really that rich, but we were famous for being snobs. At least, my parents were.

My mom was actually beautiful. Long, flowing brown hair, twinkling eyes, a perfect body. But she used that for bad things, and her temper is as short as the thread is between me and her- which is, believe me, short. My father is a banker. However, when no one was looking, he would steal a little bit of the money he was supposed to put in the deposit. I was the only one who actually knew of these things, of course, and I only know these by following them late at night. You could say that I'm a master of stealth. It just comes naturally to me.

Me, I had inherited my mother's hair, eyes, but not her body. I was petite, thin as a stick, and not, in views of my chest, satisfactory in size. That didn't seem to stop men from courting me, however, and soon I was walking down the street with a hood and a scarf to cover my identity. I wasn't very interested in men. All of my "friends" giggled and flirted whenever they came by, but I typically just ignored them.

The sound of church clock ringing eight times, accompanied by the sounds of people moving about, woke me up. Wincing slightly, I stretched and gasped. It's already eight o'clock? I was SO screwed. My parents always had things on schedule, and when I messed it up by a second… let's just say they didn't like that.

Climbing down as fast as I could and running into the house, I heard my mom yelling. "Where on earth is that child? Adelina! Where have you been? We're off schedule by two hours! Two hours! And where have you been? You're so dirty! Go upstairs and take a bath. We're going to the theater!"

Not even acknowledging my mother I raced upstairs, practically ripped off my clothes, and jumped in the tub. The only reason why I actually listen to my mother is because I really don't have any choice in the matter. So it's better to do as she says and get revenge later. After scrubbing myself down, I walked in front of my huge wardrobe and wondered what I should wear. The original schedule for today was that I was supposed to go to the theater as well, but now that I was late, I decided just to skip it and visit my friend Donata. Donata came from a very rich family, but she didn't act very rich. However, she loved to flirt with men. We're sort of opposites.

In the end I chose to wear pants, a white shirt, and a white coat to stop the cold. I liked the color white. It's plain, and there's nothing special about it. Even my scarf and hood is white. Whenever my parents weren't around, I always wore men clothes, and no underwear. It's a lot easier to run in than a dress, and I don't really want to look pretty. Walking outside, I stopped and glanced behind me, looking at my house- no, my parents house. It was always pretty in the morning, with the dawn of the sun rising behind it. I never saw it again.

**Meh. Hate this! Sigh. Right now, it's gonna be really short, since I haven't got that much time. But don't worry... later my updates should have AT LEAST 2000 words. I never really count. Anyways, apologizes for the short first chapter, and plz plz plz press that button at the end that says review. So, in one sentence, so far my chapter SUCKED, (I can't write for some reason!) and it's really short. That's all...**


	2. Lighting Up with a Fight

**Well, thanks for the one review. Just in case you wanted to know, I'm a vampire! I live off of your reviews! …Not. It would be cool if I was one, though. For you Ezio fans, yes, actually, he does come in at this chapter. Oh, and I forgot to say this in the last chapter, but I don't own anything… except for Adelina.**

Just keep walking.

Those three words keep echoing through my head as I walk through the poor district of Firenze. Beggars, some of who were nearly entirely naked, lined up on the sidewalks, mournful and sad, begging for money, hoping that someone who actually had a heart could- no, _would_ give them a new life, a new start.

In other words, I really regretted not bringing my purse.

The cries of the poor, the stench of the food they were eating (which didn't even resemble food) the way they were living on barely nothing was almost too much for me to take. Breaking out into a sprint, I ran. I didn't really care where I was running, I just ran. I didn't even realize that I had ran into the noble district and didn't even realize I had past Donata's house until I was at least five blocks away.

The only thing that actually stopped me was that I had me colliding with a young man. He was probably the only man I would dare to call handsome. "Oh! Sorry, signore."

Without even waiting for a response I turned around and hurried back, trying to get his face out of my mind. But I couldn't. It's as though the second I saw him, his face was burned into my mind. And the more I tried to get him out of my mind, the more I thought about him.

"Come _on_, Alba. I want you to meet him!" Donata pleaded with me, trying to get me to go with her to meet her new boyfriend. I sighed, contemplated ways I could escape, then nodded. She squealed and took my hand, practically dragging me away from the market stand where we were buying food.

As I was dragged along, I perfected my plan of escape. I really hated it whenever Donata showed me her boyfriends or her best friends or her new puppy, mainly because I just get bored out of my mind and have to follow her around all day. The only reason I go is because she's really the only person I can honestly call a friend. Donata was perfect. Blond hair, blue eyes, tall, perfect body, she looked like a model. She even dressed like one: long, flowing strapless pink dress. At first glance, one might think that I was a boy following his sister.

We eventually reached the northern side of Firenze. Donata dragged me to a building that looked like a library. She finally let go of me and then told me to go around to the other side of the pillar and wait. "How long are you going to take?" I asked.

"Just a few minutes. Now hurry!" Donata cried, pushing me behind the pillar. Sighing, I pulled out an apple from one of my pockets, cleaned it with my shirt, and started chomping on it. I could hear Donata sighing at my boyish behavior but before she could say anything I heard a voice: "Donata! So you came, then." The voice had a sparkling nature to it, like everything that the person said was funny and joyful. I liked it.

"Of course I did." Donata replied, doing what I assumed was a courtesy. "Ah, I would like you to meet my friend, -"

"Call me Alba." I interrupted, still eating my apple. I leaned against the pillar, not even bothering to look at them. I could hear Donata sigh again and whoever-he-was chuckle. "I apologize for my friend's childish behavior." Donata said, and I could almost feel the glare she shot at me, "She doesn't know what manners mean."

I snorted. Oh, the irony. My mother yelled at me every day about my manners. I remember a day when I was playing with the horses in the barn. I tripped and landed in, sadly, the pig pen, where, as you can imagine, I made a mess. My mother was so angry at me, I could've sworn she- "So, how are you this fine morning?" Donata's courter put his hand around my shoulders. I glanced at him, and let out a little gasp. He was the same man I had crashed into earlier. I turned slightly suddenly so he couldn't see my face, and pulled myself out of his grasp.

"I'm fine, no thanks to you." He smiled at my comeback and replied, "Are you sure? You seemed to like it when you crashed into me earlier…"

I cursed silently. He had recognized me. At least he hadn't recognized me yet. Luckily, Donata saved me. "Um, I believe I haven't introduced you yet. Alba, this is Ezio Auditore. Ezio Auditore, you already know Alba, I assume." She gave me a weird look, and I knew I would have to explain it to her. But I was already in shock. First, the person who I get a crush on after years of rejected guys happens to be my best friend's boyfriend. Second, it has to be one of the Auditores. I had heard of the Auditore brothers, how they were nothing but trouble. They were often found in either a women's bed, or somewhere strange during the night. I even heard a rumor that one of them had run across the entire city with nothing but a scrap of cloth to cover his…

I saw something behind Donata. A little boy was being dragged off of the street by a merchant, followed by a crowd and a couple of guards. I was too far to hear what they were saying, but I guessed it wasn't anything good. Not even listening to either Ezio or Donata anymore, I started walking over there. By this time, a guard had grabbed the kid's hand and shouted something like, "Justice must be done! We shall cut off this thief's hands so he will never steal again!" With that, he drew his sword.

"HEY!" Everyone froze. Then stared at me. I sneered at the guard. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" The guard, temporarily distracted, glanced between me and the boy, who was beginning to cry. Then he roughly threw him away and turned towards me with the other guard. "Well, well, what do we have here? A pretty _puttana_ for us to play with, hmm?"

I snarled, mainly just for the act. I watched the kid run away into an alleyway before turning my attention back to the guard. I smiled, just for a second. Then I kicked him as hard as I could in the sensitive area, spat on him, and ran away. For a few seconds, the crowd was stunned. Then all chaos broke loose. I headed for a big crowded road, because then it was easy to disappear, but it was still quite far away, and I didn't exactly run for pleasure. I was more better in the shadows. I could hear the panting of the guard right behind me, I could smell the stench of his pits (which did not smell good) and I could almost see him gaining on me. That was, until Ezio tackled him, yelling, "Run!"

I stopped. "What are you doing, you _idiota_? This is my fight!" Ezio got up and punched the guard across the face, saying, "Not anymore it isn't. Now get going!"

I laughed. "With _this_," I kicked the guard, who was now on his back. "Stronzo still here? Fat chance." With that, I began tormenting the guard, kicking him, punching him, yelling at him. "You think you can just call me a whore and get away with it? Do you even _know _who I am, you figlio di una cagna? I'll make you wish you were never alive! I'll-"

The guard, the one that I had forgotten about, tackled from me behind, landing on top of my hips. "Well," he sneered. "Looks like we have a pretty _cagna _over here." Before I could even snarl, Ezio had grabbed the guard and thrown him into a nearby wall, headfirst. Then he tossed me over his shoulder and ran.

Ezio didn't put me down until we were far away from the scene. I quickly put up my hood again; it had fallen off during the "ride." "_Grazie, _Ezio."

"Anytime." He grinned. "Of course, for my help, you _do _owe me a favor now…" I groaned. Oh, god, please no. I was planning to be a virgin for the rest of my life, but with Ezio in my way, that goal was going to be hard. "Very well. I owe you, but it will _not_ be anything that Donata does not approve." I smiled. Donata barely approved of anything.

Again, Ezio grinned. "Of course… but perhaps I should, um, talk to her first." I stiffened. Wait, was Ezio really going to-

A siren went off. The only time this happened was when something bad was happening, such as a fire… a fire!

**Bleh. Bad ending, my apologies. I still have writers block, even though it's only the second chapter. Hopefully this chapter satisfies you, and although I'm going to be tweaking the game a lot, it's still going to follow the main plot line, and may continue into Brotherhood. R&R!**


	3. Fire against the dawn

**Hey, guys, anyone who's reading this... can you please review and stuff? If you don't review and offer suggestions and criticize me then I won't be able to update... as I said, I'm going through writers block because, frankly, I'm a newby. Soooooooo thank you, Cloud Raithwall, for actually giving me the energy to write this... I can even live off of 2 reviews, guys! 2! Okay, maybe more than that, but seriously, R&R. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, blah blah blah, everything goes to whatever company made AC... wow I can't believe I don't know what company made AC. Fail. **

A fire.

Okay, it's just a fire. Doesn't mean it's your own house burning down.

I tried to council myself and I pushed my way through the crowd, making my way to the smoke in the rising dawn. But somehow, I knew, in the deepest parts of my heart, that it was my house. Do you ever get the feeling, you know, that feeling when something goes bad and you automatically know what it is and what happened, even though you have no idea how or why you know that? If you have, congratulations, you have experience the number one feeling of _oh shit I am SO screwed._

I had finally reached my house.

You couldn't really call it a "house" now, because all that was left was just a couple of wooden planks and some charred, unrecognizable object. I picked it up, and realized that it was a small knife, probably used for whittling or something. I tucked it into my belt and stood up. Some people were staring at me, with puzzled looks on their faces. I tucked my hood lower and walked away.

I had no idea where to go.

I knew, for a fact, that if I went back there my parents would go into a rage, blaming everything on me, saying that I had either lit it on purpose or had been stupid enough to play with matches. They blamed everything on me. Whether it was some random merchant being a stronzo or that they were robbed by thieves, everything somehow led back to me. However, any sane person would probably suspect me for destroying the house.

Two main reasons: one, I hated that house. It was pretty, fancy, exactly what a "young, pretty lady" would like. And if it wasn't just my parents house, I might have actually liked it. But stand outside the door for just one hour and you can hear the whispered words passed throughout the streets: "There's the Costas. If you want to keep your money, stay away from them." or "Did you hear about them Costas? Rumors is that one of them is a whore, while the other is a liar and a cheater." or "Who lives over there? Trust me, you don't want to find out..."

I stopped. I was in front of the theater in which my parents were currently at. _Why the hell am I here ? _Of all places, I needed to get away from my parents, not closer. I shrugged and moved on. Which, of course, had to be the exact moment my parents walked out of the theater. I tried to sneak away, but they caught me. "Adelina Costa! Where were you, young lady? And what's all this nonsense about a fire?"

I cursed, stopped, inserted a false smile and my face and said, "Well, _madre, _apparently someone's house went up in flames. That is the reason why we have fire alarms."

My mother didn't listen to me. Typical. "It seems to be near our house. Hmm, perhaps, dear, we should see if they have anything they, ah, don't need?"

She was talking to my father. And what they meant by, "see if they have anything they don't need," is pretty much looting what remained of the house. I was disgusted. If it was someone else house, I would have helped them carry out what they needed. My parents, however, would loot it. Served them right to see that happen to their own house. Realizing that this was my chance to escape, I ducked into the alleyways and waited to hear my mother's scream and my father's howl of disgrace. I've heard it before, and it's like hearing two monkeys fight for a banana.

What I wasn't expecting was my father calling the guards to flush me out.

I cursed, for perhaps the billionth time. For one, I was stuck in the same alleyway as before, except that it was nighttime and the guards were still on high alert for me. I bet my money they were planning on raping me as soon as they had caught me. Heck, I bet they don't stay out this long to help old ladies walk across the street. Fuck, I'll even bet that-

"Signora?"

I snapped my head up. A boy, about my age, with sandy blond hair and blue eyes, was standing in front of me. How the hell had he got there? I sighed, and glanced behind me. The guards were _still _looking around. "Yes?" I snapped.

He took a step back, almost surprised by my sharpness. "Um, I was simply wondering what you were doing in this alleyway at this time of night, _signora." _

Again, I sighed. "Okay, let's get two thing straight. My name is Alba. Second, please leave me alone. I'm, um, being chase by some stupid _merda faccia. _So, again, you might want to leave."

He blinked. "If you need some help, I have a barn in which you can hide in."

"Yes." I spoke without thinking. "I mean, if it's fine with you, I'd like to accept that offer."

He nodded enthusiastically. I had a bad feeling about this, but what choice did I have? I pulled my hood and walked alongside him as though he was my brother. Some guards looked at us suspiciously, but let us past. When we reached the barn, (a shabby thing that probably should be called an outhouse more than anything else) I turned around to thank him, but he was running away. For a few seconds, I was puzzled, but then a bunch of guards popped up around me. A trap.

**Hmmm... I think I'm getting better at this. Seriously, though, guys, no reviews = no more story. I accept criticism too, guys, as long as it's nothing like "THIS SUCKS DELETE IT NOW!" But yeah... thanks for reading this. **


	4. Scarred

**Well... I'm back again. Thanks, people who review, I love you, you all get a chocolate cookie and a hug... 4th chapter up. I'm not sure how well you guys are gonna respond to this, but hey, this is my story. R*&*R! That looks cool.**

The rusty door clanged shut with a bang, leaving me alone in the darkness again. All I knew was that I was in some sort of tower, a jail, and that the service here was horrible. I poked at the food recently delivered, not really having the appetite to eat some moldy cheese or bread. I sighed and decided to eat it anyways, to keep my strength up. I had no idea what they were going to do with me, after all, they had no evidence that I had blew up my house. But my parents probably bribed them to do something horrible to me, to teach me a lesson. I had been here for a day and a half. After I had stupidly led into a trap, the guards dragged (literally) me to a huge building, threw me into a random cell, and locked me in.

I doubt you've ever been in jail. If you have, you can understand the boredom I felt, the feeling of claustrophobia as the minutes passed to hours to days. The most you could do is sleep and eat, and hope that the guards didn't decide to take advantage of you for fun. I heard that a couple of times. Disgusting.

Suddenly, another door opened with a bang, and footsteps, two people by the sound of them, strolled in. I went to my cell door and peered out. Turns out there were three people, one of them being dragged. The last one, a new addition to this prison, by the looks of it, bared resemblance to someone I thought I knew... someone that was just on the edge of my memory but disappeared whenever I thought of him. I shrugged and retreated back to my bed, satisfied for now.

"Hello?"

The whispered voice cut through my haunted dreams, waking me instantly. I slowly sat up and looked around, wondering who had spoken.

"Is someone there?"

I heard the voice again. Was I dreaming things? Then I remembered the event before, the new prisoner. I walked to my cell door and looked out. I could just barely make out a face peering at me from the cell across me.

"Who are you?"

My voice felt raspy and dry after not being used for a day and a half. I wasn't even sure if the man could hear me. I cleared my throat and tried again.

"Who are you?"

"I am Giovanni Auditore."

That suddenly made sense to me. Ezio Auditore's older father was a banker. In fact, he worked at the same bank that my father did. Often my father came home cursing his coworkers (I could never find out why) and Giovanni was one of them. My father described him as a weak underling who pitied people lower than him and was a fool. I rather thought I would like him if I ever met him. Well, here was my chance.

"Oh. Hello. I am Adelina Costa. I believe my father works- worked with you?"

Giovanni's face light up. "Yes, actually, I do know him. Achielle Costa, _si_?"

I nodded. Already I was liking him. "_Si. _Why are you here?"

He sighed, and his face darkened again with betrayal and worry. "I was betrayed. I do not know by whom, but I will find out. I know that my son, Ezio, will come. My other sons, Federico and Petruccio, are here in this rat hole as well. I believe that Ezio may be the only way to prove that I am innocent."

I nodded. At that moment, I heard a whispered voice say something, I think it said _"Padre?" _But I wasn't sure. Giovanni's face disappeared and after a few minutes of whispered, of which I could barely hear, he came back. This time, he was smiling. "I was right! Ezio was just here. He will get the evidence to my friend, and I will be proven innocent."

I nodded, for the third time. I was glad he would be getting out, but sad that I wouldn't. Still, at least one of us would be happy.

In the morning, the first thing I felt was a steel foot kicking me in the stomach. Then someone grabbed by my long, untidy hair and growled. "Get up. I'm not going to drag you." Then, he promptly dropped me.

I picked myself up and swayed on my feet. I had spent most of the night talking with Giovanni, because he was really a nice person and I wanted to know Ezio's father better. If what he said last night was true, he would be set free today. I wondered what they were going to do with me. With the look in the guard's eyes, I knew it wasn't something good.

He pushed me down some stairs and through a confusing maze of doors and passageways until he finally pulled the last door open and shoved me outside. The light nearly killed me; it had been about two days since I had faced direct sunlight. The guard, however, didn't stop, and kept pushing me along, dragging me up when I fell and sometimes prodding me with his sword when I stopped. After a while, my eyes finally adjusted, I realized we were in the town center.

And there were the gallows.

I swallowed. I had no idea that my parents would go as far as to have me killed. I didn't even get a trial! Either way, I was screwed. The guard kept pushing me forward: onto the stage, to the farthest one and put it over my head. He tied my hands together and gave me a satisfied smirk. I was still stunned. I managed to pull myself together and realized there were three other people already waiting for me: Giovanni, and two other boys. One was quite young: maybe not even twelve. The other, I'm assuming was Federico, he looked a bit older than Ezio.

Giovanni saw me and a gave me this sad look, a look that said that he knew he was going to die but wished I wasn't there to die with him. Then this fat noble strolled onto the stage and started yelling something about the Auditores. I was still stunned. I always knew my parents hated me, but can you imagine what it would feel like to have your parents try to kill you? I looked around in the crowd and saw only a cheering mass. They thought I was some criminal; I hadn't done anything! I searched for one pitiful face and found it.

Donata.

She locked eyes with me for a second, then looked away, light tears streaming from her puffy red eyes. I knew there was nothing she could do. She was only a lady, after all. Then I saw Ezio. A flurry of white, he pushed through the crowd, yelling something. I was still in a daze. He tried to dash onto the stage but was blocked by some guards. Time seemed to slow down. I saw the hand, I saw it push down the lever. And then I felt a searing pain around my neck, and I tried to scream. Everything started to fade as I gasped for breath, like a fish on land. The ground was nearly completely black before the pressure on my neck suddenly loosened, and I fell, landing heavily and panting. My neck was still burning, but I managed to look up. The boy. The blond boy, the one who had betrayed me, was standing above me, a beautiful sword humming in his hand. He dragged me up, yelled something unintelligible, and practically threw me into the cheering crowd. I landed heavily, skinned my knees, and started to run away. Then I made the mistake of looking back.

Giovanni and the two children hung there, suspended. They looked stupefied, as though they hadn't realized what had happened. I stopped. I couldn't believe that this had happened. These people had a family, a family that was crying. Giovanni's wife would now be a widow, and his daughter would now be alone. And Ezio... poor Ezio.

Wait, Ezio?

I looked around. Ezio was nowhere to be seen, but guards were swarming everywhere. The blond boy was gone, I had no idea where he was now. I ran. I ran into a cart of hay, ran past it, then turned around and jumped into it. My throat was still burning like hell. I waited. And waited. The guards seemed to have past. I was right about to jump out when something heavy crashed into me with a big "oof!"

Thinking it was a guard, I began punching and kicking my attacker. Somehow he pinned me down and said, "Alba? Is that you?"

It was Ezio.

I tried to say his name, tried to say something. Before I could get a sound out, that invisible hand again chocked my throat, and I couldn't breathe. He seemed to see that I was injured, and peeked out of the hay cart. He looked around a bit, then dragged me out and scooped me up. He ran.

My mind was finally clearing from the fog of action, and I realized what had happened. Why I couldn't speak. Silver drops of rain formed from my eyes and sobs rocked my body as I realized what had happened. Ezio had watched his family destroyed.

And I, I was now mute.

We all carry our scars.

**...Cries. Okay, I'm not sure how well this chapter turned out. Personally, I think it turned out rather well. But if you disagree, then plz comment and say so. Really, your reviews make a big difference. **


	5. Too Far Down the Road

**Hey, guys, I'm back... For those of you who are surprised that I made my own character mute, trust me, I DO have a plan... (I hope) and her being mute is a very essential part of it. That's about it... thank you, all of you people who reviewed, even the anonymous one... oh right in response to your question, so far in my agenda, no, they do not have any sexual intercourse as you probably want. Or don't want. Whatever. However, I am still tweaking my plan, so I might change it. There IS a sex scene, however, that's why this is rated M. Um, I will put a warning in the chapter that it appears in so that if you don't want to read it, you don't have to. It's very mild though. Anyways, next chapter up, R&R as usual. **

**Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, I don't own anything... except everything that I've created. Ubisoft! THAT'S who made AC! Lol I'm stupid. **

Ezio dashed through the crowd, pushing people out of the way, a blur of white as he ran. I had no idea where he was going, and frankly, I didn't care. I was still in shock. I rubbed my throat, feeling the burn as I traced the wavy lines of a scar. I was now scarred. Marked. I could never be myself again. Not just because I had lost my voice, but because I had witnessed what happened to those who were innocent. Me and Giovanni were innocent. So were his children. Why were people so cruel as to try and kill us? What had they ever done? What had _I_ ever done? I realized how cruel people actually were. I realized that the only person who you could only trust, was yourself.

Ezio suddenly stopped, clutching me by the waist. He set me down and said gently, "are you all right?"

I snorted. Then shook my head as a no.

He frowned, then lifted my chin. He stared at my scar for a while, then let me go. He turned away, but not before I had seen his face. He looked as though he were about to cry. Looking up, I could see that we had stopped at a brothel of some sort. I touched Ezio on his shoulder and looked at him questioningly. I finally noticed his outfit. White robes, white hood, it looked like something I would want to wear. The hood, especially.

He had gained control of himself again. He smiled, without any trace of his old joyfulness, and said, "This is _La Rosa Colta. _My mother and sister are here, under the care of Paola. She can help us."

I didn't know who Paola was, but if she could help me, then I would be grateful. I nodded, and Ezio knocked on the door twice, then opened it.

The inside was beautiful. Twining stairways, pretty pictures and flowers, everything seemed to be a dream. My parent's house always had a stale smell to it, like something that was way overdue. This house smelled clean and fresh, like someone had just washed the entire place from head to toe. A woman, who looked like a courtesan, walked over to us and said, "Ezio. Your family is expecting you. And who is this?"

I caught Ezio staring at her breasts, and I gave him a little slap on the shoulder. He seemed to wake up then, and said, "ah, um, this is Alba."

I gave Paola a little courtesy, and she gave me back one in return. She seemed like a nice woman, and I couldn't help trusting her. She seemed to be one of those people that could just smile and make the whole world better. "Alba? Dawn? A strange name."

I looked around for something to write with, and found a chalkboard. On it, I wrote, _My name isn't really Alba. It's Adelina. I just prefer Alba. _

Paola frowned, then turned to Ezio. "She's mute?"

Ezio frowned as well. He turned to me.

I sighed, picking up the chalk again and writing _I was just hanged for a false conviction. I was saved in time, but I fear I've lost my ability to speak. _

I was actually glad, now, that my parents had forced me to take lessons at school. I would most certainly need them now. Paola nodded, her eyes filled with sympathy. "You'll have to tell me your story sometime. For now, Ezio must meet his family."

Ezio nodded, then looked at me. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but eventually he just left with Paola. They walked upstairs, and I sighed. Some of the courtesans looked at me curiously, but didn't say anything. I leaned against a wall, wondering what my fate was going to be now.

"I'm going to teach you how to survive."

I blinked. It had been nearly a day or two since Ezio had left, heading towards Monteriggioni. I had asked Paola if it was okay for me to stay with her, and she had agreed. She told me about the Order, how Giovanni had been an assassin. She had even told me that after enough practice and if I wanted to, I could become an assassin myself. I said yes to the practice, no to the assassin. I was done with killing. Everyone who died had a family, someone who had loved who was now alone. I couldn't believe Ezio would be following the same path after what had happened to his family.

Paola had tried several medicines to allow me to speak, but none of them had worked. I was still mute. And probably would be for the rest of my life. I was surprised, though, by how much more you actually think when you don't have to respond to other people's questions. Paola had bought me a sketchpad and a pen, which I kept with me in a satchel always. Although it sometimes got annoying to carry, I knew I would need it.

Paola continued. "I will teach you how to steal, how to run, and how to fight. Is there any other topic you wish to study? Since you have turned down my offer as an assassin, what would you like to become? I've seen the looks you give my girls: I know you have no desire to be a courtesan. What, then, do you wish to be?"

I considered my options for a moment. I already knew my answer. Taking out my sketchpad, I wrote, _a healer. _

Paola nodded, then said, "Very well. I will teach you the basics of alchemy and healing, but in order to become a true healer you will have to find a real mentor. I am an assassin, trained to kill, not to save."

I nodded. I knew that the path I had now chosen was hard, but there was no going back now. Too far down the path. Too far down the road.

I groaned. I was back in my own personal room at _La Rosa Colta. _It had been nearly two years since Ezio had left, and each day was spent working tirelessly. Running, fighting, mixing, stealing. I became an expert with a dagger, but I only carried one around for self-defense. My satchel was typically full, as I always carried large amounts of herbs with me. I had even learned cooking, on Paola's whim that a woman who couldn't cook was a woman doomed at birth. It turns out, even, that I had a knack for it. Soon I was cooking the entire brothel's dinner daily.

When I first came here, I didn't have any muscles. I probably couldn't have even lifted a small stone. Now, I was much stronger, much faster, and much, much more capable of fending for myself. I preferred speed over strength, but Paola still insisted on giving me endurance lessons.

About a year ago, she had shown me a hidden weaponry inside the brothel and asked me which weapon I had wanted. I didn't want anything that could kill, so I didn't chose anything. She warned me, though, that I had to pick one or she would chose one for me. That night I went outside the city and carved a sling from pieces of leather I had stolen. I worked all night and by the morning, I had a weapon. Paola was proud.

She insisted that I work on it for at least two hours every day, and soon I was able to hit a bull's eye target with only one or two swings. I had gotten so good, I had once knocked out a guard who was about to molest a helpless woman. I had laughed my head off at the surprised look on his face as had crumpled to the ground.

My healing skills had gotten better too. While exploring the city one day, I had met a young man, an alchemist, who claimed he could help me. I paid for my own lessons by making medicines to sell in the city. By now I could heal anything short of a mortal wound.

Paola was talking about sending me on a road trip soon. As I sat on my bed, nursing my battered muscles from today's exercise, (running across all of Firenze while more than fifteen guards chased after me on the promise of being able to take advantage of me if they caught me) I wondered where she would send me too. I had always wanted to explore the world, see beyond the small town of Firenze. Here was my chance. Hopefully, I wouldn't make the worst of it or the-

wham!

Something crashed through my window, creating a perfect hole, and landed on my carpet. It was a bird, a falcon by the looks of it. I picked it up. It was still breathing, but it looked badly hurt. There was blood everywhere but I couldn't find where. I checked it's back, it's head, it's one leg, it's-

Wait.

One leg?

One of it's legs had been cut or ripped off, leaving an ugly stump. I gasped, grabbed a shirt, and pressed it against the wound. Being a healer, I pulled certain herbs from my satchel and rubbed it against the shirt. I contemplated what to do. Grabbing it by the chest and the back, I made sure that it was still breathing, then rushed to Paola's room. Some courtesans looked at me funny, but by now they had known not to question me. They knew that Paola trust me, and that was enough for them.

A few hours later, when me and Paola had managed to heal the falcon, we got a bird trainer, who identified this one as a Peregrine falcon, one of the most fastest animals in the world. He said, "Young lady, you are very lucky you found him. These animals are priceless."

I looked at Paola. She smiled, and nodded. "The doctor is right, Alba. These falcons are so precious, some will kill for them. It is your choice as to what to do with it, however. Whether you wish to free or to keep it, it is your decision. I will not hinder you."

With that, she left.

I sat with it all day, wondering what to do. When it woke up, I finally realized what color it's feathers were like. A brownish-red, it looked like fire when it moved. I named it. _Fuoco. _Fire. A reminder of my old life, and a reminder of my new one.

The horse I was riding was tired, and I knew I had to stop soon. Paola had finally sent me, almost tearfully, to Monteriggioni. I was surprised at her choice, but she was firm. She wanted me to meet with Ezio and help him with his quest to avenge his family. Surprisingly, even the courtesans had been in tears. They gave me plenty of money and told me they'd miss my cooking. Of course. They wouldn't miss me, just my cooking. I hadn't said anything of course: I couldn't. I just smiled and thanked them as well as I could without words.

Fuoco cawed ahead of me, siting that he had found shelter. Perhaps a cave. After he had recovered, he decided that I was his new master. He would not leave. I decided to make the best of things and trained him, even put my satchel on him. I hated wearing it. Although I couldn't speak, I found, through trial and error mainly, that I could whistle. I put this to use and soon had Fuoco trained for nearly every command. But then he cawed again. It was a deeper, lower caw. I frowned. If I had trained him right, he had just said that a large army was coming my way.

**Ummmph... perhaps a bit too much information at a time. And a bad ending. Oh well. Hoped you liked it, please review with helpful comments, and long chapter this time. Yay! **


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